GOUDARZI & YOUNG / ETB TEAM OF THE WEEK! | KC’s Lady Rangers, who open nationals in Wyoming next Tuesday vs. Walters State (Tenn.)
Kilgore College’s Lady Rangers went into the Region XIV Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament last week in Baytown as the No. 4 seed.
That means someone with authority had three teams favored in front of KC.
They were wrong.
The Lady Rangers, who have always done well in tournament play since coach Stephanie Williams took over the program, took it to a different level this time. They put down Panola College, 60-50, in their first game on Wednesday, and then shocked many, though not this writer, with an upset over top seed Trinity Valley, 79-73, on Friday in the semifinals.
That sent KC to the tournament’s title game on Saturday afternoon, where they met rival Tyler Junior College, a team that had just beaten them in the regular season finale the weekend before.
KC didn’t blink. TJC did. And when Tyler rallied to cut it to a one-point Lady Rangers lead with just over two minutes left, Williams’ team didn’t allow another score, going on an 8-0 run to finish the game, win the Region XIV tournament championship, and clinch a spot in the NJCAA Women’s National Tournament.
And for that, all of those performances, Kilgore College’s Lady Rangers are the Goudarzi & Young, LLP / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week for March 10-15.
That first game was supposed to be close, and it wasn’t a blowout, to be sure, but KC was seeded fourth, Panola fifth for a reason: the teams split their regular season series, and all three teams seeded in front of the Rangers and Panola had better conference records.
But when tip-off came, it was the Lady Rangers who had a better first half (36-22 at the break) and didn’t really look back. Nakiyah Allen, a sophomore from Boyce, Louisiana, had 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals, and KC picked up its 21st win of the season.
Jarahle Daniels had 11 points, five steals, five rebounds and two assists; Madison Bob scored eight and had seven rebounds, two steals, and two assists; Brooklyn King had seven points, five rebounds; three steals and two assists; Anyla Herbert also had seven points, and added four rebounds and two steals; Ja’Sani Green had six points; Tylissa Henderson scored four; and Rhianna Battles had two.
That was Wednesday. The men’s tournament continued on Thursday, which meant KC got a break, a day to rest, as did all of the remaining women’s teams.
When the women’s semifinals were played Friday, KC again would face a team – Trinity Valley this time – that they had split the two season games against. The Lady Rangers had edged Trinity Valley in at Masters Gym in Kilgore, but lost the rematch on the road in February by 20 points.
That either served as motivation – or didn’t matter a hill of beans.
Daniels had 20 points, Bob and Allen each dropped 15, and after trailing by two points at the end of the first quarter, the team took a lead and didn’t give it up. In an hour and a half, Trinity Valley was bounced from Baytown, a 79-73 final that had people in the stands buzzing.
Bob hit three three-pointers, and finished the game with 15 points, four assists, two steals and a rebound. Daniels led with 20, as mentioned, and also had six rebounds, four assists and six steals.
Allen scored 15 and had seven rebounds, two steals and an assist. Herbert had 11 points and five boards. Green had eight points and three rebounds. King had four points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists. And Henderson also had four points and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Lady Rangers played the waiting game, as Tyler faced Blinn in the second semifinal of the day on Friday. Before long, they knew TJC would be their opponent.
And then game time came Saturday afternoon, the tournament’s championship game.
KC built early success into a double-digit lead, and held it until TJC began to chip away at it with four minutes left in the game.
Tyler did finally cut KC’s lead to just one point, 59-58, with just over two minutes to play.
But the Lady Rangers stepped up their defense, hit their free throws, and Tyler would not get in front and in fact, didn’t get closer. The final: KC 67, Tyler 58.
Moments later, Allen was named the tournament’s most valuable player; Bob and Daniels were named to the all-tournament team; KC received the tournament plaque; and it was proclaimed that the Lady Rangers were on their way to the NJCAA Women’s National Tournament, this year being played at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming beginning next Tuesday.
It’s KC’s first appearance at the national tournament since 1993, when Evelyn Blalock was still coaching the program.
KC (23-9) will meet Walters State (Tenn). in a 9 a.m. start next Tuesday morning in the first round. Walters State is the No. 16 seed in the tournament, KC seeded 17th.
Walters State is 25-5 this season and won the Region 7 Championship in Tennessee with a 58-49 win over Chattanooga State.
That game, and all of the NJCAA Women’s Tournament games, will be streamed on the NJCAA Network for a subscription fee here: NJCAA. But take note: for those who have ESPN+ subscriptions, the games will also be available on that service.
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And congratulations to the Kilgore College Lady Rangers, the Goudarzi & Young, LLP / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week! Good luck in the NJCAA Women’s National Tournament!